ON PRO FOOTBALL

ON PRO FOOTBALL; In Struggle With Officials, The League Wins Round 1

By Mike Freeman

Published: September 11, 2001

It was no surprise that Philadelphia fans, considered among the toughest in sports, booed the replacement officials, flanked by a small army of security guards, as they left the field at Veterans Stadium after the Rams-Eagles game on Sunday.

The officials themselves looked exasperated as they left, as if they had just survived a night in a Roman coliseum.

''Whew!'' the referee Al Hynes said, wiping sweat from his brow.

The N.F.L. survived its first regular-season games with replacement officials. There is little question that the league won the first round of this labor struggle because there did not seem to be any major gaffe that led to a defeat or a devastating injury.

The regular officials may realize they are losing the battle, which is why they requested another meeting with the league this week. But the league has decided it will not meet with them this week, ensuring that replacement officials will work in Week 2.

''It was a normal week in the N.F.L.,'' the league spokesman Greg Aiello said. ''The officials made some mistakes, but over all they did a very good job.''

Not even a lockout can stop what is the splendor of opening Sunday in the N.F.L. Still, the performances by the substitutes weren't always pretty, and they weren't always smooth.

In fact, an examination of this weekend's games shows that replacement officials are shy about making calls, and may be making more mistakes, possibly twice as many a game, than the regular referees did at the same time last season.

Last year regular officials made an average of 3.1 mistakes a game, according to the N.F.L. Coaches, players and locked-out officials maintain that replacements made at least twice as many errors this past weekend as the regulars did last year in Week 1.

Because general managers and coaches face fines if they publicly criticize the replacements, just as they did with the regular officials, many will not discuss the officiating on the record. But four head coaches yesterday said the replacements were hesitant -- one coach used the word scared -- to throw flags, especially in tight situations.

And there is evidence to back this notion.

In 15 games in Week 1, a total of 152 penalties were called for 1,321 yards, for an average of 10.1 penalties a game for 88 yards.

In 2000, 181 penalties were called for 1,505 penalty yards, for an average of 12.1 penalties a game for 100 yards.

Holding and pass-interference calls seem to be the ones substitutes are not making. There was also more dirty play in the trenches, players said, as these warriors probed the substitutes to see how much they could get away with.

Washington defensive end Bruce Smith, furious over what he called cheap shots by San Diego tight end Freddie Jones, lashed out at the substitutes to reporters after the game. ''I'm concerned at this point,'' Smith said. ''After I'd been cheap-shotted, I told the head official: 'You're putting our careers in jeopardy. I'm going to get hurt. I'll knock this punk in the mouth, and I'll get thrown out of the game and fined $250,000, and he will have accomplished what he set out to accomplish.' ''

''The official said to me: 'You play and I'll officiate. If you get hurt, you get hurt.' ''

Opening Sunday had its usual number of spectacular plays, upsets and emotional story lines. The defending Super Bowl champions, the Baltimore Ravens, won their 12th straight game, this one over Chicago. Chris Weinke, the 29-year-old rookie from Florida State who won the Heisman Trophy last year, commanded an unlikely upset at Minnesota as the Carolina Panthers' defense limited the Pro Bowl wide receiver Randy Moss to 1 catch for 28 yards.

All six first-year head coaches lost, the St. Louis Rams pulled off an emotional overtime victory at Philadelphia and Cincinnati won its first opener since 1997.

The N.F.L. is alive and well, vibrant and popular, but the headline remains the league's labor problems with its officials.

To be certain, some of the same complaints about replacements are made about the regulars. There is also this point: Fewer flags mean faster games, which is not bad. Aiello said: ''A lot of people are telling us they like fewer flags for incidental, minor fouls. They think it's better for the game.''

The following are some of the major mistakes made Sunday by replacements.

*At Philadelphia, an Eagles defensive back punched Rams running back Marshall Faulk while trying to stop him from catching a pass. No flag was thrown.

*At Baltimore, the Bears had two men in motion simultaneously and no penalty was called. Ravens Coach Brian Billick said an official told him, ''Coach, I missed it.''

*At Kansas City, Oakland running back Charlie Garner made an apparent 27-yard catch; the call was reversed and the pass was ruled incomplete.